Unjamming the Toner Hoppers
Sherlock Ohms 1/27/2014 6 commentsSherlock Ohms highlights stories told by engineers who have used their deductive reasoning and technical prowess to troubleshoot and solve the most perplexing engineering mysteries.

Google Buys Boston Dynamics: Is That a Good Thing?
Engineering Materials 1/22/2014 28 commentsGoogle's expected target applications for its new robot division are in manufacturing and retailing, and its other robot purchases are right in line. So why did it buy Boston Dynamics, the leading-edge military robot company?

3D Print Metals For Under $2,000
Engineering Materials 1/21/2014 31 commentsYou can build a low-cost open-source 3D printer that makes metal parts for less than $2,000, designed by Joshua M. Pearce and his team at Michigan Technological University (MTU). MTU and Sigma Labs have signed a memorandum of understanding to support commercial development.

Altair Speeds Smartphone Drop Testing
Blog 1/20/2014 23 commentsAltair has reduced drop-testing time in smartphones significantly with the use of computer-aided engineering (CAE). The company worked with LG Engineering to create a simulation model that puts a smartphone through its toughest test -- dropping it on a hard surface.

Slideshow: NASA's Ball Bots Explore Titan
Blog 1/10/2014 23 commentsThe latest NASA exploration robots are the Super Ball Bots, and they sort-of look like spheres, but are constructed quite differently from rigid models. These tensegrity-based bots are being designed to go to Titan.

Slideshow: 3D Systems Changes What Engineers Can Do With 3D Printing
Engineering Materials 1/9/2014 15 comments3D Systems has introduced printers, services, and software that will change what engineers can do with 3D printing. These include a bigger and faster SLA build volume, another printer that does multiple colors in plastic, one that prints plastic multi-material objects bigger and faster, ceramic 3D printing via the cloud, and a universal print driver.

Saving Millions Through Cost Reduction
Sherlock Ohms 1/9/2014 11 commentsSherlock Ohms highlights stories told by engineers who have used their deductive reasoning and technical prowess to troubleshoot and solve the most perplexing engineering mysteries.

Slideshow: Upping the Efficiency of Solar Cells
Blog 1/8/2014 50 commentsSolar energy has emerged as one of the most viable forms of renewable energy. But to make it even more prevalent and a standard part of power grids, solar-energy harvesting technologies need to perform at a higher level, achieving more efficiency, or a higher ratio of electrical output to the incident energy in the form of sunlight.

Slideshow: 3D Printing Metals in Space
Engineering Materials 1/7/2014 24 commentsThe European Space Agency (ESA) has begun a program for designing a large-scale 3D printer that will work in space to make high-performance metal components and even entire satellites.

Slideshow: Nautical Robots Ride Out the Storm
Blog 1/2/2014 40 commentsOur latest crop of nautical robots are a talented lot. They include a new and growing category of recreational, as well as professional, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and some that look like or emulate the movements of fish, turtles, or octopus.

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